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Here we are again on the brink of the true dog days of summer. This marks the time of year when my New York City neighborhood feels as close to a ghost town as you can get in the concrete jungle. Aside from the few tourists who wander north of Times Square and midtown, this is the time of year when I rarely wait in line at the grocery store or wait for an elliptical machine at the gym. It’s also the time of year when I take my an annual hiatus from writing new blog posts until after Labor Day.

Before I sign off on this Motivation Monday, I want to encourage each of you to enjoy these sunlight-filled days to the fullest. Lately, I seem to be bombarded daily with reminders of how truly short and precious life is. So whatever makes you happiest at this time of year, I hope you take every opportunity to steal as many moments as you can to enjoy those activities. Whether you have the luxury of escaping to the beach for a whole day or you can steal away to your backyard for only 10 or 20 minutes, savor whatever moments you can.

If you’re dealing with family or work-related drama, do your best to take care of your body and spirit. Go for a walk around the block to clear your head or grab a buddy for an outdoor workout and some iced tea and conversation after. Haven’t seen a special someone in awhile? Why not plan an impromptu barbecue or happy hour and enjoy a few moments of laughter and catch-up time. Have that ice cream cone. Have that second glass of wine. Whatever you do, wherever you go and whoever you spend time with, also remember to put down that smart phone once once or twice and be truly present in the moment.

As the iconic Ferris Bueller put it in one of my all-time favorite movies from the 1980s:

“Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in awhile, you could miss it.”

Summer is just one, tiny part of our lightning-paced lives. As it continues, I wish you plenty of sunshine, smiles and good times with the people you love. I look forward to being back here in September and picking up with new plans to have fun, be fit and feel fabulous!

I can’t put my finger on one particular reason, but it seems so many people in my life – family, friends, colleagues, even workout buddies – have been dealing with a serious case of the winter blues.

Maybe it’s because this was the first really dreary winter we’ve experienced (at least here in the Northeast) for several years. Maybe it’s because of all the anger and divisiveness circulating on a daily basis on social media. Most recently, it could most likely be attributed to our nation reeling in the aftermath of yet another unfathomable tragedy at another school.

On a personal note, I can say the winter of 2018 has been one of the most difficult on the emotional front in recent history. I have been waging a daily battle with anxiety over my aging parents; the uncertain path of my career and witnessing some of my dearest friends trying to make the best of some seriously difficult situations. I guess it boils down to this being the first time I can honestly say I’ve been afraid in a long time.

That being said, there’s a new month on the horizon with the promise of better days- and definitely better weather- ahead. In the meantime, I continue to do the one thing that gives me a sense of strength even if it’s for only an hour amidst an otherwise “scary” day: exercise. For anyone out there struggling with your own difficulties as we trudge through 2018, I encourage you to find one activity that gives you peace. If you’re like me, that could mean unleashing your fears by hitting and kicking a heavy bag with all your might. For others, it could mean taking a power walk or spending ten minutes meditating, praying or reading a book.

I realize this is another of those slight diversions from my usual posts. Then again, maybe it’s not. For the past six years, this blog has been an outlet for me to cope with some of the big happenings in this crazy ride we call life. I thank all my readers for supporting me when I need to shake some of the cobwebs out of my mind. If you’ve been struggling with the blues this season for one or a variety of reasons, I hope you find comfort knowing you’re most definitely not alone. Even those who appear to be the strongest among us have their dark days. (Which is why I started today’s post with one of my favorite quotes.) So as we make our way through this last Motivation Monday of February, let’s all find strength knowing there’s a sunnier spring ahead for all of us – and plenty of new chances to have fun, be fit and feel fabulous!

We kick off the third week of 2018 celebrating a very special person in our history, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Since that means this Motivation Monday is also a holiday for many of my readers, I’ll offer some short yet powerful quotes from the inspirational leader to help us face whatever challenges lie ahead. Whether you’re tackling the next level of your health and fitness goals or dealing with the struggles of every day life, we can all take a cue from Dr. King to help us on our journey to have fun, be fit and feel fabulous!

“Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.”

“We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.”

“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”

Guess what? Remember those health and fitness resolutions you made at the start of the year? Well, you’ve reached a major milestone as this Motivation Monday brings us seven weeks into 2017! As I mentioned in previous posts, it takes about six weeks for new behaviors to take root as official habits. So, if packing your gym bag has become as routine as brushing your teeth before going to bed and you find yourself craving your daily dose of celery sticks – kudos to you!

To keep the momentum going, I encourage you to pat yourself on the back for all your hard work. I also offer this important reminder: success is never just about a number on the scale. Think about how many of these non-scale wins you’ve scored:

Do you have more energy throughout the day?

Are you sleeping better at night?

Do you find yourself craving healthy snacks and meals?

Do you feel more confident stepping out in that favorite pair of jeans?

Whatever you’ve accomplished, now’s the perfect time to set some new goals. Think about something that will keep you pushing through your weight training circuits; getting to that group exercise class on time and chopping veggies or prepping other healthy food for the work week. Maybe there’s a spring break trip, wedding, reunion or other special occasion in the not-so-distant future that you’d like to show up for feeling your best. Of course, your motivation could stem from the desire to gear up for a new season of new activities. This could be the spring you start training for your first 5K or Avon39 Walk to End Breast Cancer. Maybe you’d like to be able to play a sport with your son or daughter or simply have more energy for outdoor activities like hiking or cycling when the weather gets nicer.

In honor of President’s Day, I thought it would be fitting to wrap things up with some words of wisdom from some of our country’s notable leaders. As in years past, this is a non-partisan group of quotes. I simply chose words that inspired me. As we all set our sights on the health goals ahead, isn’t it great to think some motivational words from the past can inspire us on our current quest to have fun, be fit and feel fabulous?

“We should not look back unless it is to derive useful lessons from past errors, and for the purpose of profiting by dearly bought experience.”–George Washington

“In the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.” –Abraham Lincoln

“We must dare to be great; and we must realize that greatness is the fruit of toil and sacrifice and high courage.” -Teddy Roosevelt

“Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.” -John F. Kennedy

“You can do what you have to do, and sometimes you can do it even better than you think you can.” – Jimmy Carter

“The future doesn’t belong to the fainthearted; it belongs to the brave.” -Ronald Reagan

“Life takes its own turns, makes its own demands, writes its own story, and along the way,we start to realize we are not the author.” -George W. Bush

“If you live long enough, you’ll make mistakes. But if you learn from them, you’ll be a better person. It’s how you handle adversity, not how it affects you. The main thing is never quit, never quit, never quit.” – Bill Clinton

“If you’re walking down the right path and you’re willing to keep walking, eventually you’ll make progress.”-Barack Obama

It’s hard to believe this Motivation Monday brings us to another birthday celebration for the good ol’ U.S.A. Hoping you’ll spend this holiday enjoying time with family and friends rather than surfing the web, this week’s post will be super short and sweet.

First, click here for a reminder on how to make it through that all-day BBQ without throwing your healthy habits out the window. Second, I leave it to some of our founding fathers to offer a patriotic twist on my weekly wish for you to get out there and attack those plans to have fun, be fit and feel fabulous!

“We should not look back unless it is to derive useful lessons from past errors, and for the purpose of profiting by dearly bought experience.” – George Washington

“Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude.” – Thomas Jefferson

“A little flattery will support a man through great fatigue.” – James Monroe

“Well done is better than well said.” – Benjamin Franklin

“Wine is constant proof that God loves us and loves to see us happy.”- Benjamin Franklin